Minnesota United Drops First Game of Leagues Cup 2026
MLS Minnesota United FC

Minnesota United Drops First Game of Leagues Cup 2026

Published on August 4, 2026 under Major League Soccer (MLS)
Minnesota United FC News Release


SAINT PAUL, Minn. - Minnesota United fell 2-1 to FC Juárez in the Loons' first Phase One match of Leagues Cup 2026. Tomás Chancalay scored the lone goal for Minnesota, and despite having a number of close chances that followed, MNUFC was unable to score again. The Loons next take on Tigres UANL in game two on Friday night at Allianz Field in Saint Paul.

9' - Minnesota United midfielder Carlos Harvey created the Loons' first dangerous scoring opportunity of the game, holding possession atop the right corner of the 18-yard box where he took a long-distance strike that missed just wide of the near post.

22' (0-1) - FC Juárez scored the opening goal of the game from a header by Guilherme Castilho. Service came into the Minnesota box from José Luis Rodríguez, took one bounce and Castilho was right there to head the ball into the back of the net to give the LIGA MX side the lead.

32' - Anthony Markanich gained possession from Owen Gene on the left side of Juarez's box, crossing-over a defender before he took a close-range shot that forced Los Bravos' goalkeeper Sebastián Jurado to make the diving save.

34' (1-1) - MNUFC equalized the match off a left-foot finish by midfielder Tomás Chancalay. He was fed the ball on the right wing by Kyle Duncan before he drove the ball into Juárez's box. Chancalay initially briefly lost possession, but regained it, made a quick run towards the center of the box and his shot curled into the far side of the net.

38' (1-2) - Juárez regained the lead. Jairo Torres sent a through-ball to Óscar Estupiñán, who ran past the Minnesota back line and found the back of the net from close range.

58' - Estupiñán created a dangerous scoring opportunity for Los Bravos when he made a breakaway run past the Minnesota defense and created a one-on-one with Loons' goalkeeper Alec Smir. Estupiñán's shot from inside the box missed wide of the far post.

83' - MNUFC nearly equalized the game when Markanich made a run into the box from the left. He beat the Juarez defender and played the ball off to forward Marcus Caldeira who was making his own run toward goal from the center. Caldeira then narrowly missed the tap-in opportunity.

GOAL SUMMARY

0-1 FCJ - Guilherme Castilho (Luis Rodriguez) - 22'

1-1 MIN - Tomás Chancalay - 34'

1-2 FCJ - Óscar Estupiñán (Jairo Torres) - 38'

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

MIN - Anthony Markanich (caution) - 68'

MIN - Devin Padelford (caution) - 69'

FCJ - Jesús Murillo (caution) - 76'

FCJ - Ettson Ayón (caution) 90'+1'

Notable Stats

4 - With his goal in tonight's match, midfielder Tomás Chancalay has now scored four goals across all competitions this year. Chancalay is notably on a two-game scoring streak, where he netted the goal in MLS regular-season action against San Diego FC on Aug. 1.

ATTENDANCE: 16,022

LINEUPS:

Minnesota United XI: GK Alec Smir; D Anthony Markanich, Devin Padelford (Dominik Fitz 80'), Morris Duggan ©, Jefferson Diaz, Kyle Duncan (Joaquín Pereyra 59'); M Carlos Harvey, Tomás Chancalay, Owen Gene (Wil Trapp 59'); F Mamadou Dieng (Marcus Caldeira 77'), Kelvin Yeboah (Mauricio Gonzalez 59')

Substitutes Not Used: GK Drake Callender; D Michael Boxall, DJ Taylor, Kieran Chandler; M Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Julian Gressel

FC Juárez XI: GK Sebastián Jurado; D Javier Nevárez, Jesús Murillo, Haret Ortega, Javier Aquino; M Denzell García, Jan Carmona (Madson Silva 60'), Guilherme Castilho (Ramón Jiménez 70'), José Luis Rodríguez (Raymundo Fulgencio 60'), Jairo Torres (Ricardo Antonio 78'); F Óscar Estupiñán (Ettson Ayón 78')

Substitutes Not Used: Benny Diaz, Guillermo Ortiz, Gilberto Sepúlveda, Alejandro Mayorga, Said Godínez, Leonardo Rodríguez, Ricardo Juarez

UP NEXT:

MINNESOTA UNITED FC vs. TIGRES UANL

Allianz Field | Saint Paul, Minnesota

8.7.2026 | Leagues Cup 2026 | Phase One, Game 2

8:00 p.m. CT (Apple TV)

MINNESOTA UNITED POST GAME QUOTE SHEET

HEAD COACH CAMERON KNOWLES

On his overall thoughts on the match...

"Extremely disappointed. It's certainly not the way we wanted to start the tournament. There's a lot of disappointment in the locker room as well. It just hasn't been good enough in terms of results at home and, and tonight was another one."

On the opportunity to advance further in the tournament...

"I mean it's more than just that [advancing in Leagues Cup] for us. These next two games are about what the rest of the season's going to look like, and we have to take those two 90-minute matches and really, really put everything into it so that we come out with some momentum as we start league play. Whether or not that gets us through to the next round in the tournament, so be it."

On if he was happy with the team's performance in the last 30 minutes...

"Yeah. Look, we have a chance on the line to equalize, and we're what, half a yard away from putting the ball in the back of the net and, and going to penalties. So, I thought those guys [the substitutes] brought good energy and good life, and the other guys that had to stay and battle through, like Tomás [Chancalay], has put in a big shift the other night and done it again today, battled through till the end. I don't think you ever saw at any point a lack of effort from those guys in terms of what they were trying to do and trying to get that equalizing goal."

On if he views the defensive mistakes as a systemic problem...

"I think twofold. I think we talk a lot about marking in the box and not allowing space between attacking players, and I think that's a perfect example of that. Not making physical contact as a cross is coming into the box, not denying service and giving yourself that chance. The other goal was a little more structural in the sense that we don't recover to a good defending shape, and then that starts pulling Owen [Gene] out of the middle, and we start then losing guys. We have to step out of the line, and then there's just that domino effect. We keep harping on, 'we are really good when we are really organized and behind the ball, and we do it all together.' We can show that we're a tough team to break down when that's the case, and that's what we need."

On Alec Smir's performance...

"I'm just disappointed for him [Alec Smir] that we didn't get a result for him. He's been deserving of an opportunity for a long time. He's been with the club a long time. He puts in a lot of really good work. A lot of guys in the locker room were excited to see him have an opportunity, and not to take anything away from Drake [Callender] and how Drake's been for us this year, but Al [Alec Smir] has just quietly been soldiering along with his business, really supportive of the goalkeepers in front of him. He brings good composure with his feet and his range of distribution. Very good shot stopper, and just a shame he couldn't get a win tonight."

On the message to the fans...

"They should be frustrated. The guys are resolute and wanting to bring joy to this place. We know what this place is like when it's going well. We know what it's like when there's three points in here. We haven't felt that for a really long time. We know that because of the run we're on, we are going to have to put so much into the way that we train and into our performances in order to bring that back. The fans have every right to be disappointed; they should be. But I know there's a group of guys in there that are going to work hard, that are going to dig deep, and that are going to do everything they can over the next couple games and as we start then back up the regular season to bring back that energy and joy to the stadium."

On the two striker system and working out some of the kinks...

"There's the threat that it brings with having two strikers, one that comes to the ball, one that gets in behind. Especially against a back four. There were times I think we got a little too narrow with it, we wanted them to play a little bit wider and ask a little more questions of the centerback and fullback. By and large I thought it was good and some moments of pressure in there too where we win the ball higher up the field. Obviously [something] we have been good at this year."

On what the team needs to improve before the next game...

"We have to dust ourselves off quick. We have to review the game, like we do every time, review the performance, but really it takes what it takes to win a game and the small margins we are seeing really tip the balance. So we have to be really focused in the way we train, in the way we evaluate the game and then prepare for the next one."

On what was learned about facing a LIGA MX opponent...

"We knew it would be tough, we knew that you couldn't take their [FC Juarez] record, we knew we couldn't underestimate them. They are a good team with good players and the difference in the game is they put away their two best chances. You see the quality in their group in those moments."

On the message to the players in the locker room...

"The biggest thing is how we respond to it [the loss]. Where we go as we walk out of the locker room; we come into work again tomorrow and we have another game coming up in a few days time. That has happened. What's next is the same as in the game, it's the next play. How we respond is the most important."

DEFENDER MORRIS DUGGAN

On tonight's loss...

"I mean, very disappointing. I think we keep saying that we should have won this game, should have won the last game, should have won the game before, but you come to a point where you've got to win. You've got to actually do it. It doesn't matter how you play or what you do. You've got to take responsibility, and that's just not good enough. I mean, I take responsibility. I'm the first one to take responsibility. You get a team that scores one goal in three games in a league and concedes two in the first half, at home, it's just not good enough at all. It's very disappointing. We still have a lot to play for, obviously not in this tournament, but we have two home games. Our supporters deserve two wins. They deserve optimism going back into the league, so that's what we're playing for."

On the impact tonight's loss has on MNUFC's standings on the Leagues cup...

"Yeah, I mean, like I said, you can't lose the first game. I don't think if we win both games it's going to be enough. Obviously, like I said, we want to win for other reasons, for the supporters and for ourselves to build momentum. So we're still going to play for everything. But yeah, the tournament hopes are pretty much done."

On playing center back...

"I think, obviously, like I said, we can't make any more excuses. You can say we had a quick turnaround and didn't have much time to prepare, but at the end of the day, they scored first and we kind of lost our composure a little bit. We just felt like we had to press, but we got stretched. We should have been more united and more patient because we just kept going, and there wasn't really the right intensity. We got stretched, and overall, it just wasn't good enough."

On fans' reactions to the loss...

"It's obviously frustrating. It's disappointing for us because they deserve so much more. We're out here trying to give them what they deserve. They come out here on a Tuesday and support us and push us. They give everything for us, and we need to give everything for them. So they deserve more."

On wearing the armband tonight...

"I mean, it was a huge honor. Cam [Knowles] told me yesterday. Obviously, it makes the result even more disappointing. But for me personally, the trust the coaching staff has given me and the trust my teammates have given me has really lifted me up. It's a huge honor. This one really stings because, obviously, you want to take responsibility, and I'm feeling the loss a lot, and I'm sorry to disappoint the fans. All I can say is that these next two games we're going to give it our all. We want to come back, get wins, reward our fans, we are going to sing the wonderwall, and we've got to look forward.

GOALKEEPER ALEC SMIR

On the defense...

"I think Morris [Duggan] has done a really good job. I think he was isolated in certain moments because we got really stretched with the width of the pitch. Obviously, they got into a couple of good areas because we gave up the middle, and they have some good players and some good finishes. So yeah, disappointing."

On what head coach Cameron Knowles said in the locker room...

"Just that it starts from now on. Like I said, we have two more games at home, Morris [Duggan] mentioned two more games this month. We build momentum for the league. You never know, maybe six points could be enough. You never really know. But it's now what we do from now on and building into league play."

On starting tonight's match..

"It's frustrating. Obviously, it was exciting to get the start and play in the tournament, but you want to come out, win, make a couple of saves, do well, and move on to the next games."

On improvement of second half performance...

"I think so. I think we were pushing to score a goal, and obviously we got pretty open and there were a couple of messy moments. But I think we built into the second half a bit more.

Like I said, we got stretched early and they capitalized on their chances. It's always good to be out there in front of our fans."

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Major League Soccer Stories from August 4, 2026


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